13 weeks 1 day Pregnant - start of the 2nd trimester & a bit about vaccines

So today I am 13 weeks and 1 day pregnant. According to one app on my phone I am officially in my 2nd trimester but according to another, the 2nd trimester starts at 14 weeks. However, most references state that the 2nd trimester starts at 13 weeks so I will say I have now started my 2nd trimester.

I am happy to be in my 2nd trimester for a couple reasons. First, the risk of miscarriage has greatly reduced so that is good and hopefully this will also mean that I will start feeling better. I have gotten over some of my food aversions lately and I was finally able to have a smoothie this morning but I have been gagging like crazy the last couple of days...

I do have a bit more energy and I actually went for a run today...well a run/walk but it felt good to get back into running. I only went for 3.5k and even walked a bit so I am nowhere close to the running shape I used to be in but hopefully it will get a bit better soon. I obviously want to take it easy but still keep fit at the same time...

I had a doctors appointment with my GP today. It wasn't too eventful. We did some mandatory paperwork and discussed vaccines. She is on the same page as I am. Obviously being a doctor, she is pro vaccine but she did say that she is against the chicken pox vaccine because it wears off and adults can get it when they are older and that adults tend to have more complications then children. I had the chicken pox as a child and I didn't suffer any complications. She said that she let her kids get chicken pox the natural way and then you will have life long immunity. I definitely think I will take this approach as well. I am definitely not against all vaccines but I don't want to get unnecessary vaccines. She also mentioned giving a 1 year old the meningitis vaccine is pointless because the type of meningitis that it protects against is usually contracted before the age of one and it doesn't protect against other types of meningitis. 

Mitch's mom had polio as a child and got it before there was a vaccine. After seeing all the pain she went through, I definitely think its worth vaccinating against.

Other then discussing the vaccines, paper work, taking the routine blood pressure, urine sample, and weight, she looked at mole I was worried about and said it looked fine. I have another appointment with her in 3 weeks when I will be 16 weeks. After that I will start seeing my OB. I still have not gotten a call about my OB appointment but my doctor's office followed up on it today so I should hear back about that appointment soon.

I hope to tell my boss about the pregnancy tomorrow and if I am able to tell her tomorrow, I will make a Facebook announcement this weekend!

I am also excited to go to this huge baby/toddler consignment sale in Kanata this weekend. I plan to go with my mom and sister on Sunday so I will probably do another post on that coming up!

This week baby Spiegelman is the size of a Peach!

11 weeks Pregnant

So today I am 11 weeks pregnant and I am starting to feel a bit better. The last couple days I have been exhausted but less nauseous and I seem to have a bit less food aversions. I think my exhaustion is due to not getting enough sleep. I definitely need a full 8 hours +  per night. 

Today is my compressed day so I finally made it out to the gym this morning which felt good. I took it easy compare to my usual workouts but since I haven't been going regularly, it still felt like I got a good workout in. I was totally surprised when I weighed myself that I am still at 126 which is 1 lb less then my starting weight! I am very happy about that since I feel like I have been eating like a pig lately. So much poutine and fries and lots of cheese. On the bright side, at least I am getting my calcium in!

My new craving over the last couple days is watermelon. I find it so refreshing and at least it is a healthy craving! I had some yesterday and bought more today!

I started following another pregnancy vlogger on youtube called Maddie B. She is only 5 weeks along but she has been TTC for a bit so I was happy to find out she is pregnant and I can't wait to follow her journey. It is really fun following these pregnancy journeys when you are pregnant too!

So that is about it for my pregnancy update...not too much is new this week but I have my 12 week ultrasound and blood work next Thursday so wish me luck that everything turns out fine and I will be sure to update on how that goes!

On another note, my sister and niece Julyanna are coming on Friday (in two days) which I am totally excited about and I can't wait to spend time with them!

This week baby Spiegelman is the size of a lime! 

10 weeks 4 days Pregnant...a bit of a scare and telling the rest of our family

So today I am 10 weeks 4 days pregnant. I am still feeling a bit sick but I feel like it is slowly getting better. I feel like I can go longer between meals without getting nauseous and slightly less tired. As far as my other symptoms go, I am still having weird dreams too.

Last weekend we had a bit of a scare. We were at the movies and then had a bit of time to spare before our nephew's birthday so we were playing arcade games. There was a basketball game and a ball hit the side and flew into my stomach. It knocked the wind out of me so I was really scared that it may have hurt the baby. We ended up going to the hospital and having an ultrasound and the baby was flipping around, happy as can be so that was a huge relief. It was weird cause the baby looked so much bigger than the last ultrasound which was only 3 days earlier...maybe it was just zoomed in a bit more but even the doctor was surprised about how much movement there was for only being 9 1/2 weeks along. I guess that is a good sign though.

Since we went to the hospital, we ended up being late for the birthday party so we definitely needed to tell Mitch's sister and explain to her why we were late. It wasn't really the way I had planned to share the news but she was excited nonetheless.

We also told my dad this week. No big announcement. We just called him and shared the news. He seemed pretty surprised but very excited. He is clearly hoping for a boy since there really isn't too many boys in my family. 

So now all of our family knows but we still haven't shared the news with our friends or anyone at my work. I am still waiting until the end of the 1st trimester to share the news with everyone else...these blog posts are not being published until the news is completely public...

This week coming I am definitely hoping to get into a better gym routine and to start eating healthier. I have been eating way to much dairy and it has started to make me feel bloated and sluggish and I feel like it contributes to my tiredness. I have only been going to the gym once per week for at least the last four 4 weeks and this past week I didn't go at all. I have no idea what my weight is at right now because I really only weigh myself at the gym and I haven't been in a while. I will update that in my 11 week blog post. 

Anyways I am really glad that I have this Wednesday off and only have a 4 day work week this week cause working a full 5 days last week was very tiring. 

9 Weeks Pregnant - 2nd doctors appointment and 1st Ultrasound

Hi so today I am 9 weeks pregnant and it was a big day. I had my follow-up doctors appointment and she said that my blood work I had done a couple weeks ago was good so that is a huge relief. She weighed me and I am at 126 still but that was with an extra sweater so I think I lost another pound or so...and took my blood pressure which was good. I was supposed to have a urine sample done but I couldn't pee. Kinda embarrassing but I had to pee so bad before I left home...anyways it wasn't a big deal. She also gave me all the papers for the IPS testing to be done at 12 weeks. I heard of people opting out of it but she def recommended it. So I think we will have it done. At least this blood test is not a fasting one and I can have the ultrasound and blood work done at the same time so I don't have to take extra time off work. Oh yeah she also gave me a referral for an OB that works out of the Queensway Carleton Hospital. She said she recommends most of her patients to deliver there and I looked up the hospital online and it seems like a good hospital so I am happy to deliver there. I just hope that I like the OB she referred me to. I am waiting to hear back from my GP about when they scheduled my OB appointment and there is a good chance that I will see my GP once more before I switch to an OB.

Now to the most exciting part...we had our first ultrasound this afternoon and I am super happy to announce that everything went well! We saw the baby and it has tiny legs and arms and it has a nice strong heartbeat at 169 bpm. The doctor said it was measuring at 9w1d and based on my LMP I am supposed to be 9w0d so it is basically measuring perfectly on schedule which is an amazing sign! Its funny cause in one pic it looks like you can see a face with eyes but apparently its really the brain. Mitch liked that pic best so that is the pic we got for the keepsake pic! I am very relieved that we saw a heartbeat and it is measuring right on schedule! I was really nervous!

We have our IPS testing for April 17th, 2014 which I will be about 12w1d and it will be our 12 year anniversary too! I picked it cause I thought 17 is our lucky number and at the time I totally forgot it was anniversary! Hopefully everything will go smoothly and we will have a great anniversary present seeing our little baby!

I was totally going to wait to tell people the good news. Up until now the only people that knew were Mitch and I and my doctor but after the good ultrasound results, I was too excited not to tell people so I stopped by my mom's house unexpectedly and shared the news with her! She was happy obviously. I had wanted to have a big grand announcement but instead I just let her open the little card with the ultrasound pic and she caught on...I also sent the pic to my sister on facebook because she is in Bermuda and her phone is often off. I still don't know if she got the message yet. I was going to call Mitch's sister and tell her but Mitch wanted to wait until we saw her in person on Saturday! I am excited to tell her! I still have to tell my dad and for some reason I am nervous to tell him even though I know he will be happy! I am really worried about telling my boss. I don't think we will tell my boss or our friends until after our 12 week ultrasound...just close family right now!

Anyways as far as symptoms go, I still feel nauseous, especially after being on the bus but it has been getting better which I am happy about. I was worried on the weekend when I started feeling better but now that we saw a strong heartbeat, I can enjoy it when I am not feeling so sick. I know that we are not completely out of the woods yet but it is still such a huge relief to see our little baby with such a strong heartbeat!

Baby Spiegelman 9weeks:

8 Weeks Pregnant...

So today I am 8 weeks pregnant. I have been sick and tired all week. Still the all-day sickness. I still have strong food aversions. My cravings this week include McDonald's Iced Tea, McDonald's Egg LT on an English muffin, McDonald's Junior chicken sandwich and Honey Nut Cheerios. Not to say that these are the only things I ate all week but I did have them more than once this week. This definitely was not the healthiest week in terms of eating but they were the few things I could actually stomach.

I actually used up a couple of my vacation days I had left (my vacation starts over April 1st) just cause I was so tired and wanted to catch up on rest and a bunch of house stuff that has slipped the last couple weeks. Sunday I was so tired that I actually spent the day in my pj's, watched TV, and napped. I haven't done that in years. 

Today I am actually itching to get out of this house. The smell of my house is actually driving me crazy and making me sick. We got new couches last Friday and the smell of the leather makes me sick. I have the window in the family room open for hours at a time and the smell is slowly getting better but its still like -15 outside so its hard to air out the house. 

I am really getting tired of feeling so sick and exhausted. I can't remember if I went to the gym this past week or not. If I did, it was once max. I might go today since I am off today. Hopefully it will give me an energy boost. This weather is not helping. It is still cold and the ground is covered in snow and tomorrow is supposed to be the first day of spring. I am really hoping that spring comes soon and I start feeling better. 

I don't think I have gained much weight but I will do a weigh in at the gym today if I go...I still wear most of my regular clothes so I can't complain about that.

Today baby Spiegelman is the size of a raspberry!!!

7 Weeks Pregnant - 1st Round of Blood work and Morning Sickness

So this morning was my 1st round of blood work...standard prenatal blood work. I hate getting blood work done. I don't really like needles in general and I am scared that it will reveal that something is wrong. Not to mention it was a fasting blood test so I wasn't supposed to eat for 12 hours or so. Bad enough on a normal day but I get so nauseous if I don't eat so it was even tougher. I had the day off today since it is my regular compressed day so I slept in and didn't get to the clinic until 10 am. I opens at 7:30 but I find it so packed that early in the morning that you end up waiting for a while. Plus I find if I sleep in, I get less nauseous when I get up. It worked out. I got up around 9 or so, had some water, and got ready and I didn't feel nearly as nauseous as I do when I get up around 6 am. We didn't have to wait that long at the clinic at all and everything seemed to go smoothly. I looked away while she was taking the blood because it freaks me out to watch but I am annoyed with my self that I didn't watch to make sure she took a new needle. I wasn't really thinking. I was just trying to get through the test without passing out or puking that I forgot to look at the needle and make sure it was a fresh clean needle. 

I told my husband this when I left the clinic and of course he thinks I am crazy for worrying about it since it is a blood clinic and of course they know they need to use a fresh needle. Which logically I know makes sense but I am super paranoid about these kind of things. I don't want to find out that I contracted some disease because the person didn't use a clean needle...Anyways there is not much I can do now. I just have to trust that she used a clean needle. 

I am also worried about the results. I really hope that the results come back good. I have no idea how long it takes for my doctor to get the results. She said at my appointment last week that she would call me if there was something wrong. Otherwise, I am guessing that she will just confirm at my next appointment in 2 weeks that everything is fine. I know that she is on vacation next week so I am not even sure when I can expect a call. Hopefully everything is fine. At this point, I am really happy that I at least made it through the test without fainting or puking. Mitch was really nice and took me out for a nice breakfast as a reward for getting through the test because I was so freaked out. I am one lucky girl. 

As far as my symptoms go, this past week I was pretty nauseous all day, all week. It would get better if I ate something but at some points it was so short lived. I went 3 days I think eating cheese pizza for dinner cause that is about the only thing that sounded appetizing. Overall, I have been eating a lot more carbs and sugar. I found that I haven't been feeling great overall and I think part of the reason is that I have been eating a lot more crap. I had cookies for breakfast and been eating granola bars because that is one of the few things I can stomach but then I have no energy and feel gross and bloated. Yesterday I was finally able to stomach a banana and I found I felt a bit better throughout the day. Bananas are supposed to be high in B vitamins which help with nausea so I decided to have some banana this morning and again I feel a bit better. I also feel better when I eat more protein. I guess it's because it takes longer to digest so it wards off the nausea for longer...Hopefully if I continue to eat more protein and bananas, I will feel better because this past week I felt pretty sick all week.

I skipped the gym all last week which was a first in so long. I just felt way to tired and sick to go to the gym. Yesterday was the first day in a while that I made it to the gym. I did a pretty light workout but it still helped a bit with getting my energy back. I weighed my self at the gym and to my surprise I am back at my starting weight of 127. I did go up to 130 at around the 5 week mark but I think that was just mainly bloat and water weight. I am happy to be back at 127. I was reading that you only need to gain 1-5 pounds in the 1st trimester so I think its fine that I am still at 127. 

At week 7, baby Spiegelman is the size of a chickpea!!!

6 Weeks Pregnant - First Doctors appointment and let the Morning Sickness begin...

So today I am 6 weeks pregnant and the fatigue definitely started Monday. I was so tired at work on Monday I still don't know how I made it through the day...

Yesterday the morning sickness really started. I was really nauseous when I first got up in the morning. I couldn't even make my regular morning smoothie. The thought of a smoothie made me fell even more sick. It came and went for most of the day and got really strong when it had been a couple hours since I ate. A lot of food has been turning me off for the last couple days. Had chicken salad for dinner last night but I couldn't stomach the chicken so I just had a regular garden salad and garlic bread. I definitely still crave bread especially when I am feeling nauseous. It is really the only thing that sounds appealing...Last night I was craving garlic bread and today I was craving toast with peanut butter and jam...

I was so nauseous this morning when I got up that I had to stay home from work. I haven't actually vomited yet but I almost did a couple times this morning. It is definitely getting worse. Usually if I eat something, even if it is small, I will feel a bit better but the thought of most food makes me feel so sick. I just had some toast for breakfast so I am actually feeling better right now...Hopefully I stay feeling this way for a while. 

As far as my doctors appointment went yesterday, it wasn't too exciting. She just took a urine test to confirm that I am pregnant, gave me a requisition for some standard blood work, gave me a prescription for dilecton (for nausea), and a requisition for an early ultrasound. I have to call to make an appointment and she told me not to make the appointment for earlier then 8 weeks since it is hard to tell the viability of the pregnancy before the 8 week mark. 

I am super nervous about getting blood work done. I hate getting blood work done in general and I think it will be tough when I am feeling so nauseous already. I have to fast overnight before I go in for the blood work and I have no idea how that is going to be possible since I get even more nauseous when I don't eat. I am also nervous for the results. I wanted to go this week because my doctor is going to be away for a couple weeks. Therefore, if I wait until next week to go, she might be away when the results come in and I will have to wait even longer to find out the results. I was thinking of going tomorrow morning but if I feel as bad as I did this morning, there is no way I can go. I think I might just wait and go next Wednesday since I have the day off that day. Hopefully I am feeling better by then...

As far as the ultrasound goes, I am thinking of booking it for the last week of March. I will be around 9 weeks by then so I am pretty sure they can see a heartbeat and will be better able to tell the viability of the pregnancy by then. I have my next doctors appointment, with my regular doctor booked for March 26, 2014 which is 3 weeks from today. It was supposed to be a month from yesterday but she will be away so I had to book it a bit earlier so they can book me for the next set of tests...I totally forgot to ask my doctor about using a midwife versus an OB and when I have to pick an OB and/or hospital so I will have to ask her that at my next appointment.

As far as the ultrasound goes, I am excited for the ultrasound so I will have to book it soon. I will keep you posted on when that will be...

Hopefully I start feeling better soon! 

Oh yeah...today baby Spiegelman is the size of a lentil...

5 weeks 4 days Pregnant - Eating Healthy while pregnant

So in general I try and eat really healthy. I usually avoid processed foods, refined sugar and try to eat lots of fruits and veggies. I also have been taking vitamins for a while now as well. I started taking my prenatal vitamin about 6 months before we started TTC. I also take probiotics, vitamin D, and an omega 3 supplement. I really think that the probiotics help with improving my immune system. I rarely seem to get sick even in times when 1/2 the office was off sick with the flu. When I do get sick, it might only last a day or so. As far as I know, these supplements are all safe during pregnancy but I will double check with my doctor when I see her on Tuesday.

My favorite snack lately has been my smoothies I have been having every morning. I have been a smoothie lover for a couple years now and I have changed up the recipe a couple times over the years. I used to have the "Body by VI" shakes which tasted good, but I hate that the base is soy. It says that it is non-gmo soy but from my research soy in general is bad for the thyroid and causes other health issues so I definitely try and avoid soy if possible. 

Next, I tried a vegan protein powder which I still love. It was made with pea protein so it was "whey" and "soy" free. It is actually quite hard to find protein that is both whey and soy free. I try and eat dairy-free as much as possible so that is why I avoid protein powders with whey protein. However, this vegan protein powder has chicory root in it which apparently you are supposed to avoid during pregnancy. Therefore, once we started TTC, I decided to stop eating this protein powder.

Now my current  smoothie recipe includes almond milk (unsweetend original), mixed berries, 1 banana, a tablespoon of organic milled flaxseed, about 1/2 cup of rolled oats, and a tablespoon of organic coconut oil. It is really good and filling. Apparently the oats are supposed to help fill you up. This smoothie recipe is actually quite fattening because the flaxseed has about 10 grams of fat and the coconut oil also has a lot of fat (but its medium-chain fatty acids) however it contains so many important nutrients so it's still very healthy in my opinion. The almond milk has lots of calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D while the flaxseed is filled with lots of omega 3, fiber, and magnesium. I also read that eating protein and fat helps reduce morning sickness so maybe these smoothies are a big reason I have been feeling so great these days. 

Since I need to restrict my caffeine consumption now, and anyone that knows me knows that I love my coffee, I feel that coconut oil is a great source of energy. I have these smoothies first thing when I wake up and I feel energized all morning even without my coffee. 

Other than my healthy smoothies, I try and eat healthy but I feel like I have been craving carbs. The first couple of days I was craving bagels with cream cheese and then the last couple days I have been craving garlic cheese sticks from Pizza Pizza. As I mentioned earlier, I try and eat dairy-free but I have given in to my cravings the last few days. Hopefully these cravings don't keep up because they definitely aren't the healthiest foods. 

If any of you have any tips about eating healthy during pregnancy, feel free to share them.

5 weeks 3 days pregnant -Exercising while pregnant

So I don't really have any updates on my symptoms. I have really minimal symptoms and have been feeling pretty good lately which I am not sure if I mentioned before but it kinda freaks me out a bit. I feel like I should feel more pregnant then I do. The most noticeable symptom is still fatigue. I think I fell asleep at 9:30pm last night which was a Friday night and the night before I think it was 9pm...However, I am not that fatigued during the day. I felt a tiny bit queezy this morning when I first got up but it only lasted a minute...

Anyways I wanted to discuss exercising while pregnant. For those of you who don't know me, I am really into fitness. I used to run a lot but definitely cut back in the last year or so. Now I run 5km here and there but not regularly. I still love running but I am definitely not as good as I used to be. I started cutting back when I got into Crossfit which I don't do anymore either. I definitely find something I like, get really into it, then change it up. I really like trying new things and then just don't find the time to do everything. That being said, I have consistently worked out 3-6 days a week for the last 8 years or so. 

Lately my husband and I have just been going to the local gym and do cardio and weights. We take turns designing workouts that we both do together. I really like working out with him cause it definitely helps keep me motivated.

Since we have decided to start TTC, I have been cutting back on the intensity of my workouts but I have still been going to the gym 3-4 days per week. I am really worried about overdoing it so I have been just going on the elliptical for 20 minutes and then doing lighter strength training then I usually do. 

I do realize that my body is going to change and I am ok with that but I would still like to stay as fit as possible. I have read that it helps in labor and is healthier for the baby. Right now I feel like I should take advantage of the fact that I have been feeling so good and keep working out because I might start to feel a lot sicker and fatigued in the next couple weeks. Part of me also wonders if exercising is what helps me keep my energy up because I still feel pretty energetic throughout the day.

It is still cold outside here so I have been going to the gym indoors but when it starts to get nice out I plan to walk more outside because I like being outside in the nice weather.

Please let me know if you kept working out during pregnancy, and what type of exercise you did. I keep hearing people say "walking" but to me walking isn't that much of a workout...at least not at this stage. Obviously once I get really pregnant, I might change my mind about that!!!

Anyways I think I am going to get changed and get ready for the gym!!!

5 Weeks Pregnant!!!

So today I am 5 weeks pregnant...my symptoms are pretty well the same as my last post. I have noticed that I feel a bit nauseous right when I first wake up. Again as long as I eat or drink something, it goes away quite quickly.

I called my doctor yesterday to make a prenatal appointment and I was hoping to get in to see her today since I have the day off but I wasn't able to get an appointment until next Tuesday which will be when I am 5 weeks, 6 days pregnant! It makes me a bit nervous that I have to wait that long to get in but realistically I don't think they will do anything at that appointment except take a urine test to confirm the pregnancy and maybe to test for a urinary tract infection, and maybe give me a requisition to get blood work done. 

I guess she would be able to answer any questions I have but I  already spoken to her in the past about what I can and can't do and eat etc. so I don't have too many questions at this point...

I have already been taking my prenatal vitamins for several months and I have a really good idea of what I can and can't eat so I feel like I am doing everything I can at this point to have a healthy pregnancy. Therefore, I don't really think it would make too much of a difference at this point if I went in today versus next week. However, I do think I will take another pregnancy test on the weekend just to see if my levels went up. I bought the digital test that says the weeks since conception. When I took it on Sunday it said 2-3 weeks (which is exactly what I expected) so I am hoping it will say 3 weeks or 3 weeks+ this weekend. It will make me feel a bit better because I think that means that my HCG levels are going up...

I am still trying to decide if I want to go with an OB or a midwife. I have heard of a few people using a midwife and Ottawa has a new Birth Centre which either just opened up or is about to open. If I was to use a midwife, I think I would still opt for a hospital birth. I think I would just feel safer. I know that if there are complications with a home birth, you would be transferred to a hospital but I am still a 15-20 minute drive...

Anyways, I really like my family doctor but I would have to be transferred to an OB at 16 weeks I think and I have no idea about good ob's in my area...I guess you kinda pick based on the hospital you want to deliver at...I want a natural birth if possible and I heard that the hospital in the east end of the city is good if you are looking for more of a natural approach but I am not sure if I want to go that far...this is still something I have to think about. I will probably ask my family doctor about it when I see her next week and I will keep you all posted on what I decide.


At 5 weeks pregnant baby Spiegelman is the size of a sesame seed!!!

Have a great day!!!

We are pregnant - 4 weeks 4 days pregnant

So we found out that we are pregnant on February 23, 2014 which would make me about 4 weeks 4 days pregnant! I suspected it for a couple days because my cycle is very regular so as soon as I was late, I suspected it. However, I was a bit nervous to take the test right away so I didn't take it until Sunday. My big plan was to take it when Mitch was at hockey on Sunday morning but I chickened out. My heart was racing so I just waited til he got home. I ended up taking it while he downstairs and then texted him a picture of the positive pregnancy test! I waited upstairs for a bit but still no response...kinda weird cause if you know Mitch at all, he is addicted to his phone. He ALWAYS has his notifications on! Anyways after about 15 minutes I went downstairs and we were just chilling in front of the t.v. At this point it had been over an hour since I texted him the picture. Then all of the sudden he just paused the show and was like "Are you serious"? Believe it or not, I actually didn't even clue in to what he was referring to...a few seconds later I realized that he had just looked at his texts and got the pic I sent him...

We are really excited but we are still kind of in shock and nervous! We were originally going to start trying to conceive around our 1 year anniversary which was last June but then we postponed it a bit...we just didn't feel like the best time for a couple reasons. Anyways we have only been trying since the new year so it didn't take long at all. I was slightly nervous that it would take a long time to get pregnant because I have heard of a few friends having problems but luckily that wasn't the case at all! 

As far as symptoms go, I don't really have too many right now. I am slightly more tired throughout the day. I catch myself yawning a bit and I definitely need to be in bed by 10 pm which is a bit early for me but other then that I feel great! Oh there have been a couple times that I have been a bit queezy if it has been a couple hours since I ate but as long as I eat something small or even have a drink I feel a lot better!

I am so excited that some of our friends have either recently had kids or are expecting soon so that our child will have friends to grow up with!

I am hoping that this pregnancy goes smoothly. Since we had been thinking about having kids for several months now, I have been researching pregnancy, labor and breastfeeding etc as well as talking to new and expectant mothers so I have an idea of what I would like to do. I have also been looking a lot on Pintrest for ideas on pregnancy announcements. We are planning on telling close family maybe slightly earlier then the 12 week mark but for the most part we will probably wait til 12 weeks to tell people! I already have an idea of how to tell my mom, dad, Mitch's sister and I have an idea for a facebook announcement!

Right now I don't really have much of a belly at all but I definitely plan to start taking belly shots and I will probably post them on here!!!

At 4 weeks pregnant baby Spiegelman is the size of a poppy seed!!!

Have a great day and thanks for following our journey!

12 weeks, 2 days Pregnant - NT Ultrasound

So today I am 12 weeks 2 days pregnant. I am feeling not too bad right now. It is Good Friday so its a long weekend and I need the time to rest. I have not been sleeping well at all the last few days. Even though I could have slept in today I was up at 6:37am because the air was so dry in my house that I couldn't sleep. 

I was feeling a bit better this week but then the last two days my gag reflex has been strong and I gag over everything. I also had the worst headache yesterday and I rarely get headaches. I think it might have something to do with dehydration but not sure. Still trying to drink a lot of water...

The most exciting news this week is that I had my NT ultrasound yesterday. It was the IPS testing which combines the results of an ultrasound (done near 12 weeks) with two separate blood tests. The 1st blood test is done the same time as the ultrasound, near 12 weeks and then the 2nd blood test is done near 15 weeks. It was recommended that I have the second blood test on May 9th. The ultrasound looks at the NT measurement which is a fold behind the baby's neck and the blood tests look for the amount of certain hormones in your blood. Abnormalities in these thing may indicate down syndrome or other birth defects. I was a bit nervous going into this test and I do not have the entire results yet. The ultrasound tech was not forthcoming with information. In fact, she was not friendly really at all. She wouldn't really answer any questions. Kept saying the doctor gets the information. At first, the baby wasn't moving and she didn't even mention a heartbeat which freaked me out. Then she pointed out the heartbeat (which was 161) and the baby was moving around which made me feel better. All she would confirm was that the baby had 4 limbs and a heartbeat. She wouldn't tell me the NT measurement when I asked so I panicked a bit. However, it was written on the paper that I needed to bring for blood work after so I got to see it. As far as I can tell based on what I read online the NT measurement is in a safe range so I feel better about that. 

However, I have read in discussion forums that people say the look for other soft markers such as the nasal bone and the length of the limbs. From what I can tell in the ultrasound, the limbs looked long but I can't really judge. I can definitely see a nose but I am not sure if the nasal bone is distinct by medical standards. I can't help but be a bit nervous until I get the official results. I have an appointment with my GP next Thursday so I might get some results then. Not positive if they will be in by then because of the long Easter weekend but I hope so. I just have to try and relax and take comfort knowing the NT measurement seems in the normal range.

Here is a picture from our ultrasound yesterday...the little spiegelmonster is definitely getting bigger. I can even see the leg stretched out and the foot pretty clearly!!!

And yes Mitch nicknamed the baby Spiegelmonster!!!

Pregnancy Fashion - 1st trimester

So I am 12 weeks and 4 days pregnant today which means I am just about done my first trimester!!! I am so happy to be almost done my first trimester. So far I still fit into all my pre-pregnancy clothes. I weighed myself yesterday at the gym and I weigh 125 which means I lost another pound. I am currently 2 pounds under my starting weight of 127. I really think that I have lost muscle which is why I weigh less because I definitely notice that I have more fat on my stomach, arms, hips, and back. I realize that weight gain is healthy during pregnancy so I am not trying to diet or anything.

Anyways during my 1st trimester I was able to wear my jeans very easily and even my dress pants to work which made dressing during my first trimester quite easy. My dress pants are slightly tighter so I didn't wear any super tight shirts but for the most part just wore my regular dressy shirts for work. In terms of my weekend wardrobe, I usually wore my jeans, a tank top, and a comfy sweater on top which totally covered any slight bulge or back fat.

I am trying to avoid spending money on maternity clothes so for my next trimester I am going to try and wear a lot of my spring/summer dresses and skirts. I have some empire waist dresses and a few long maxi skirts, as well as some other dresses that are made from a stretchy jersey material. So hopefully these dresses will get me through the second trimester. I think I may need to get some maternity pants for work because I don't think my dress pants will fit much longer. Plus I think my lighter dress pants are even a size smaller....I tried going to target last weekend to look for a bellyband to wear with my dress pants but they only had a large one which wouldn't work. 

Here is a picture of my pink maxi skirt I bought last weekend. I tried getting a size up so it would fit longer but they only had a size small. I bought it because it still fits now so hopefully I can wear it at least a couple of times and at the worst, I can always save it for next summer because I will probably have lost all the baby weight by next summer...

Please let me know if you have any other tips on what to wear during a spring/summer pregnancy...

14 weeks pregnant - Facebook announcement

So I will be 14 weeks pregnant tomorrow technically but just in case I don't have time to do a blog post tomorrow, I decided to do my 14 week update today. My newest symptom would be insomnia. I rarely in my life have ever suffered from insomnia but the last week or so I would be up for hours at night not being able to sleep, thinking of any irritating moments that occurred that day. Most of the time I would fall asleep at my regular time but then wake up to the slightest noise at night and then be up for hours...very annoying.

I still feel sick if I go too long without eating but feeling more energized...the bus still takes it toll and makes me nauseous though.

Anyway I was finally able to tell my boss that I was pregnant last week so then after that I posted a Facebook announcement. I went with the "First comes love theme...and posted 3 pictures including a pic of our most recent ultrasound...I made the announcement with an online college program about a week or so earlier and even proof read it before I put it up on Friday but I still got the date of our wedding wrong in the post...kinda embarrassing. I noticed it after it was up for 10 minutes or so. I had to go in and create a whole new announcement because Facebook doesn't let you edit pictures you post...I felt bad deleting the old pic because people already left comments and well wishes but it really bugged me that the date was wrong! If you are reading this, I didn't delete your comment or anything I just reposted the announcement with the correct date.

I don't have too many people on Facebook from work so I am not sure how many people at work know yet but I am sure the news will spread soon enough. My boss and a lot of my team are away from the office this week, so many people that I work with directly probably won't find out until next week...

I still don't think I am showing too much but maybe slightly after I eat dinner. I still fit into all my pants but I think it is only a matter of a couple weeks at max that I will be able to wear them without a bellyband or something like that.  I can probably get away with wearing my jeans for a few weeks longer. I am curious to see how long I can get away without wearing maternity clothes. I will be happy if I can get to the 20 week mark...

I went to the baby consignment sale on the weekend but since we went Sunday, there wasn't too much left. Mostly just clothes and books. No furniture or anything was left. I only got two books. I got the "what to expect when you are expecting" book as well as the "baby whisperer" book. I got a pretty good deal on them so I was happy about that.

I really need to start taking belly bump photos soon but I still haven't gotten around to it yet...

I am posting a pic of my Facebook announcement that I posted on Facebook last Friday...